


And Now a Short Speech

by Avoliot



Category: Original Work
Genre: Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-20
Updated: 2017-12-20
Packaged: 2019-02-17 15:42:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,632
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13080075
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Avoliot/pseuds/Avoliot
Summary: A Transcript of His Highness Prince Kiem’s Speech to Graduating Class Seven Students, Braska Prime School, 36:12:7Note: This is a storylet set after Course of Honour and won't make much sense without it. Don't advise reading this one first.





	And Now a Short Speech

Okay, so first, can you all hear me? How about you, at the back - Class Three, is it? Shout a bit louder? Great. I should probably start by saying sorry that the mic isn’t working. Apparently the mic needs power - there’s your science lesson for the day - and the backup generator is busy keeping the heat and light on for all of us in this hall, so we have zero chance of a mic until the power comes back on. I’ll just shout, okay? Okay.

You’re going to have to forgive the speech too. I had a beautiful speech, someone in Press Office wrote it, it was all about Life Journeys, but of course it was on the network and I can’t get at it. So I thought I’d talk for a few minutes and leave time for questions. Not that we’ve all got a lot to do anyway until they get the power connected again, but your teachers tell me they have plans for reading time and whoever’s not sick of dodgeball can play dodgeball again. I’m  _not_  playing dodgeball again–  _(Indistinct Question From The Floor)_  –no, not even with Class One, no, not even if you ask nicely. I like my ankles and nobody here seems to value them like I do.

So. Journeys. Let me see if I made any notes on the draft. For starters, you know the journey here is cursed? Last time I tried to come and give this speech my flybug crashed, this time you’ve got a once-in-a-decade blizzard. I know you’re pretty far out from all the towns but that’s impressive.  _(Question: Why did your flybug crash?)_  My flybug? Bad maintenance. Keep your flybugs maintained, kids. Oh, hey, I found some notes.

_(Clears throat)_ Today I wanted to tell you how even a journey that doesn’t turn out right can become a good thing if you think about it the right way. For example, when we crashed in the mountains, my partner Jainan and I got a beautiful hike through a protected landscape that we shouldn’t have been in. That was a treat. And think about this blizzard we’re having now: you might have lost power to the rest of the school, but you all get to be in the hall with your friends playing approximately thirty million rounds of dodgeball. Those weren’t the examples I meant to use but honestly they’re better than the ones Press Office came up with. These things are what we call  _opportunities_.

Class Seven, you’re about to have a lot of opportunities. I know you’ll all be moving away from Braska to go to a bigger Second school. I moved away for Second too, so I know how you feel - I went to a boarding school down south, food like a prison camp and I think one of the teachers was ex-Special Forces. Make friends, be nice, learn new stuff, do not annoy the ex-Specials teacher. Also don’t do what I did and break a wrist tobogganing off the roof on a dare in your first week. Your teacher’s now glaring at me, sorry ma’am, definitely don’t do that.

I think that’s the end of my notes.  _(Prince Kiem spins through his wristband, doesn’t seem to find anything else.)_

So let’s start the questions! Any burning questions about your Life Journeys after you graduate? School, university, careers? Come on, particularly you, Class Seven. Yes, you, girl in the red.  _(Question: What’s your career?)_ I, uh, good question. I do prince stuff full-time. Well, I did until the Diplomatic Service got their hands on me recently, and now they’re ramming me through politics lessons until I’ve got treaty amendments coming out of my ears. I’m not a good example - you should pick what you want to do and think very carefully about how you can work up to it. Next question!

Yes, girl with the hand up.  _(Question: Can they be questions about other things?)_ I… sure. Why not.  _(Follow-up Question: When you were at school were you bad at any subjects?)_ Listen, I was bad at  _every_ subject. My advice is to study harder than I did, and if you can’t, then make friends with people who actually know how to do stuff.

Class One kid with both hands up. Yes, you.  _(Question: Did you see the doc where Count Jainan fought with a stick?)_ The news clip at the Thean Culture Day? Of course I saw him, I was there. It’s called a quarterstaff and it’s awesome, right? They didn’t show the bit where I sparred with his cousin before that because I think someone said it was embarrassing for the Imperial family.  _(Follow-up Question: Can we fight with sticks?)_ Not right here, we don’t have the right sticks and also your teachers would disapprove. Get your parents to take you to one of the Thean Embassy events. Fun fact I learned at the last one: Thean native parakeets look a lot fluffier than our birds but they will rip chunks out of you if you surprise them.  _(Follow-up Question: What would happen if I arm wrestled Count Jainan?)_  Tough one. You  _might_  win, but you’ve got to keep in mind he’s had a lot more training than you. Ask me again when you’re in Class Two.

_(Question: How can I join the Diplomatic Service?)_  Pay attention in Second school and think about politics or economics or something at university. _Don’t_  get caught up in a media scandal then volunteered for it by your extended family because that has a lot of downsides. If you still want to do it when you finish Second, hit up my aide, we’ll find you some shadowing.  _(Question: Who would win if Count Jainan arm wrestled you?)_ Jainan. Hands down. Next question.

_(Question: What if I want to be a journalist?)_ Hah. I know someone you should talk to. Get really good at comms tech and don’t let anyone talk you out of anything.  _(Follow-up Question: What are you going to do on your mission to Thea?)_ Is that… a current affairs question? Wait, that’s definitely a record button. Are you recording this whole thing? You are? Well… I’m going to Thea to forward cooperation and unity between our planets, and to discuss equitable revenue-sharing of outer system resources, of course. You can quote me on that. Also Jainan’s going to teach me his student hobbies and I may break at least one arm. You are definitely journalist material, kid, stick with it.

_(Question: Who would win if Count Jainan arm wrestled a Specials Trooper?) (Interjection from teacher)_ No, it’s fine, that’s a very relevant question. Jainan, almost certainly. Next question.

_(Question: I want to be a pilot on an exploration ship but my parent doesn’t want me to leave Braska. How do I get them to change their mind?)_ Uh. Save the easy questions for me, why don’t you. I… I don’t really know. How many parents have you got? Just the one? That makes it… yeah. I only had one from when I was fourteen onwards and she was away a lot. I used to worry about her. We didn’t, uh, we didn’t talk as much as we could have. Tell your parent you’ll call. They might get more used to it when you go away to Second school? I wish I had a better answer for you.

Hey, was that a light flicker? Are we about to get power again? Maybe you’ll be in time for afternoon school - don’t groan, look, your poor teachers are up here, think about their feelings. Okay, yes, in the blue hat.  _(Question: Who would win if Count Jainan arm wrestled The Skun?)_ What’s The Skun - I’m not up on my morning animations - fifty metres high, right, no, listen, Jainan would take him to the  _cleaners_ , Jainan  _takes robots apart_ , no, I’m not going to listen to counterarguments, I’m absolutely right about this, he’s an engineer and I’m married to him. Are you married to anyone in this fight?

That  _was_ the lights. Are they going to stay on this time?  _(Prince Kiem glances at his wristband)_  Uh, ‘scuse me, I really have to take this call.  _(Takes call at the front of the hall)_ Yes, I’m fine, the power’s back on now. Yes, honestly, it was just a blackout. You okay? I’m in a hall with ninety kids. They’re all fine too, apparently this happens every few years out in the mountains. They’re waving at you. I may just have signed you up for an arm wrestling match with a giant robot. How did your presentation go– you’re flying out here? You don’t need to fly out– you’re an hour away? Look, if all it takes to get you out after me is a blizzard you’re just giving me an incentive to fake a few more blizzards. Oh, hey, listen…  _(Prince Kiem turns his back, conversation indistinct)._

_(Call ends and Prince Kiem turns back)_

Hey, kid with the strict parent. Jainan says: they’re probably scared, so talk to them about what they’re scared of. The less you talk, the harder it’s going to be to talk. I… get that. Families are messy. But it sounds like they love you, so just… I dunno. It’s worth a bit of mess. Does that help?

Also, kid in the hat, Jainan says the best way to wrestle a giant robot is with another giant robot, so now you’ve probably given him ideas, thanks for that.

We’re definitely out of time for questions. You guys have classes to go to now the power’s back on. Fine, fine, look, I’ll play  _one_  more round of dodgeball. Long life to the Emperor and peace to the Empire. Ceremony concludes!

–  _Enga Ferrentian, Age 14, Chief Journalist, Braska Prime News_

 

**Author's Note:**

> I'm on [tumblr](https://avoliot.tumblr.com/) and [twitter](https://twitter.com/Av_Stories)!


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